As is known in the art, blood plasma (blood from which white and red blood cells and blood platelets have been removed) is a fluid containing about 90 percent water and 10 percent solids. Reduced amounts of blood plasma are used today since processes have been developed whereby the water from the plasma is removed and the solids then divided into a number of therapeutically useful fractions. Patients receive only the fraction they need and not the entire plasma. Among these plasma fractions which are clinically used are the fibrinogen fraction and the anti-hemophilic factor (AHF, Factor VIII) fraction. The latter fraction normally contains some fibrinogen as well.
Both of these fractions are generally freeze-dried to remove the water and, just prior to use, are dissolved in a liquid aqueous media to form a solution which is then injected into the patient. Time is of considerable importance to the person (e.g. the doctor or nurse) administering the fibrinogen fraction or the AHF fraction, because loss of blood by the hemophiliac and/or injury to the joints is aggravated during the time required for preparation of the solution. Thus it is desirable that the solid product dissolve in the aqueous media in a relatively short period of time.
It is known that the time of solubilization of the fibrinogen fraction can be reduced by adding dextrose thereto. Dextrose has also been added to AHF. For example, the "Journal of Thrombosis Research", Volume 1, pages 191-200, 1972, published by Pergamon Press, Inc. reported that dextrose was added to AHF in order to facilitate the chromatography of AHF. The article concluded that the yield of bovine Factor VIII from chromatography on anion exchange media can be greatly improved by the inclusion of a low-molecular weight carbohydrate, such as dextrose, in the solvents. In addition to the foregoing, the inventor is also aware that Cutter Laboratories, Inc. has added sufficient dextrose to its commercial AHF preparation so that when the preparation is reconstituted according to the instructions, the resulting AHF solution contains about one gram of dextrose per 100 milliliters of solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,533 discloses the addition of dextrose to the fibrinogen fraction. U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,781 discloses stabilizing plasma with invert sugar and levulinic acid; the carbohydrates herein, however are free of levulinic acid.